Climbing Higher Pictures

It appears that fantasy films are no longer bound to the live action blockbusters. With revolutionary new 3D technology, and a lot of imagination, you can pretty much make any movie you want, and Zach Snyder wanted to tell a story about owls. The biggest surprise? It’s actually a lot of fun.

Legend of the Guardians Review

By Ryan Hamelin

Movie Grade: A-

Wow. To say that I am surprised by the overall quality of the storytelling in Zach Snyder’s Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole is an understatement. I never read the books, but those who did will be able to tell what has changed in the theatrical adaptation. Nothing stuck out as being overly Hollywood or commercial to me, so I hope that it was as faithful as it felt. In any event, the film works as an incredibly efficient “Hero’s Journey” opener to a potentially great franchise. It’s satisfying enough as an initial story, while making you excited about the potential of future installments at the same time.

From the studio that brought you Happy Feet may not sound like a very auspicious start, but this is an entirely different beast. Not only is it a visual feast, showcasing Snyder’s trademark speed ramping and unique lighting motifs, but it’s one of the best showcases of the power of 3D since Avatar. Clearly, a lot of time and effort went into the cinematography of the film, and I’m not surprised that Snyder forced the animators to go through a series of camera tech workshops so that they’d understand the way real dollies and cranes operated, keeping their digital camera moves grounded in the real world. It feels like a live-action movie, and it makes me excited for the possibilities of future computer animation no longer bound to a simply cartoonish aesthetic. You believe that these owls can really talk, and it’s a testament to the artistry behind the scenes that bring these pixels that kind of weight.

The advertising really does the film a disservice in one major area, the story. Not only does it have one, it’s probably the strongest part of the film, and the fact that every trailer is just a mash up of cool slow-mo shots makes this seem like one of the shallower animated offerings of the season. Far from it, and I hope that other critics take the time to draw attention to how solid it all is. The character beats, major plot points, and pacing are all spot on, and I enjoyed it in a “familiar is good” kind of way. It’s not going to win any awards, but it serves as a solid foundation for everything else to play out on top of.

Which brings me around to one of my biggest gripes with the film, and one of my biggest industry pet peeves. Just because your band name has “owl” in it, doesn’t mean you should be allowed to write a song for a movie about owls. Owl City is many things as a band, but cinematic is not one of the qualities they posses. The music is cutesy, fluffy, and will become incredibly dated. The wonderful orchestral score will not undergo such disintegration over time, and this is why many bands that successfully collaborate with movies try and adjust their own style to fit with the music of the film. Instead, we get a cutesy and extremely shallow song that might play fine on a radio, but has no place in an epic fantasy world. What’s worse, instead of just ruining the credits, like such songs often do, they shoehorn it into a montage sequence during the film itself, removing any and all gravity from the proceedings. It doesn’t work at all, and though it may seem like a small point, it ripples across the whole film, undermining a lot of the great setup work and payoff in the final battle.

Ultimately, this is a great story told with a vibrant and luscious visual palette. The whole experience is phenomenally solid, from the editing to the animation to the cinematography. The 3D looks gorgeous, and can be enjoyed as both a technical feat and as a means of elevating the experience to new heights. Snyder said he wanted to make a movie that his kids could see, and in that respect, he’s clearly succeeded. A little violent for the very young, but also legitimately scary and hair-raising for even the more mature kids, it’s really a judgment call as to weather Legend of the Guardians is family fare. At least it makes for a wonderful narrative, and I’d trade that for some dumbed-down “kiddie” entertainment any day. Here’s to hoping that this one makes enough money to warrant a terrific sequel. I’m dying to find out what happens next.